9 months ago
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) is facing unit from wrong the Republican Party to suspend his run for governor. The unit began successful anticipation of a communicative that would exposure a bid of arguable comments made by Robinson connected a pornographic website.
The comments, which were reported archetypal by CNN, were posted anterior to Robinson's clip successful authorities to a website called "Nude Africa." As the study shows, the comments were lewd and intersexual successful quality and included a notation to himself arsenic a "black NAZI!"
Comments from the relationship that's been linked to Robinson successful respective ways besides said "slavery is not bad" and "I would surely bargain a few." Further comments specified arsenic "I similar watching tranny connected miss porn!" and "I'm a ‘perv’ too!" were besides recovered successful the CNN probe linking the comments to the gubernatorial candidate.
Robinson had run events scheduled connected Thursday but they were cancelled. He besides did not be Wednesday’s rally with Sen. JD Vance successful Raleigh.
Ballots are scheduled to statesman being mailed retired to subject and overseas voters connected Friday.
In effect to questions from CBS 17 astir the presumption of Robinson’s campaign—and earlier the CNN report—spokesman Mike Lonergan wrote successful an email, “Where connected world did you perceive this absurd nonsense? Is the property conscionable making worldly up retired of full cloth now?”
Sources who’ve spoken to CBS 17 accidental it’s unclear what Robinson volition do, but Republicans are discussing what volition hap successful the lawsuit helium does so exit the race.
In effect to mounting pressure, the pursuing video was enactment retired by Mark Robinson connected X. In it, helium vows to enactment successful the race. He besides calls the quality media his "opponent," and refers to the expected communicative coming retired astir him arsenic "salacious tabloid trash."
"The things that you volition spot successful that story—those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You cognize my words, you cognize my character, and you cognize that I person been wholly transparent successful this contention and before," Robinson added.
Under authorities law, if Robinson were to driblet retired and his sanction remained connected the ballot, immoderate votes formed for him would go to the idiosyncratic chosen by the state’s enforcement committee.
CBS 17 besides learned Thursday that the lieutenant governor’s bureau astatine the authorities legislative gathering had been cleared out.
A spokesperson for Republican Senate person Phil Berger’s bureau said the lieutenant governor’s unit had been notified of that “weeks ago.”
“As portion of the preparations for the adjacent biennium, Senate enactment is evaluating the abstraction allocations successful some the Legislative Building and the Legislative Office Building. Since the Lt. Governor has a ceremonial bureau wrong walking region of the legislature, it was determined that his designated abstraction successful the Legislative Building could beryllium converted to a gathering abstraction for legislators. The Lt. Governor’s unit was notified weeks agone and did not rise immoderate concerns astir the abstraction being repurposed,” wrote Lauren Horsch successful an email.
NC Republican reaction
In an interrogation with NewsNation, Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) was asked if helium was acrophobic astir Robinson.
"The allegations are concerning but we don't person immoderate facts," Budd said. "We're going to hold done the play and get everything together."
A connection has besides been released by NC Senate nominee Scott Lassiter, formally calling for Robinson to suspend his campaign.
“As a arrogant Republican, I basal for hard work, fiscal responsibility, and liberty. But nary 1 should consciousness obligated to enactment a campaigner solely owed to enactment affiliation,” Lassiter stated, “Wrong is inactive wrong, and if the caller allegations against Robinson are true, combined with his erstwhile nationalist rhetoric, I judge it’s clip for him to measurement aside. North Carolinians merit a viable prime successful this election.”
Robinson's endorsement from Trump
Earlier this year, connected March 3, Former President Donald Trump endorsed Robinson successful his hometown, Greensboro. In that speech, helium compared him to Martin Luther King, Jr.
In response, a connection from the Robinson run said, "I look guardant to partnering with him instrumentality connected the failed Biden-Stein agenda, pb our agreed Republican summons to triumph successful November, and get our authorities and state backmost connected track."
